Dead Ringer
by jm347
Summary: Serenity's crew continues to wander the 'verse looking for jobs, but they run into a new enemy who continually tries to end their lives. This mysterious person impersonates Inara and tries to frame her, leaving Mal and his crew to sort out the mess in front of them.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot and characters that I wrote. Joss Whedon takes all the credit for his characters, setting, etc.

Time Setting: Three months after the events of _Serenity_

A/N: I hope everyone who reads this fiction enjoys it, as it is my first one. I want to explore some things left unmentioned in the TV show, so please feel free to review and comment. If my story or grammar could use any improvement, please let me know.

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**Prologue**

"Alls I know is that he's givin' us an askin' price that's too good t'be passin' up," said Mal to Zoë as we walked through the Eavesdown docks on Persephone. "We're gonna do this, and we're gonna be careful about it."

"I do recall bein' careful on our last job. Now Jayne's trussed up on _Serenity _with a broken leg instead'a backin' us up," Zoë shot back at Mal. River and I could not help but stare at them with an odd sense of amusement.

"Like I said before, River will be back-up enough for this job," Mal responded impatiently.

"I still don't see why I'm being dragged along," I said.

"As I said, _Doctor_," Mal said bluntly, "We need a proper and respectable face if we want this job t'go down proper." I understood, but that didn't mean I liked the plan any better.

We arrived at the building where we would exchange our goods for their money. We climbed up to the second floor, and knocked on the door. To our surprise, it swung open, showing an empty room.

"Maybe…they're late?" I guessed as we looked around for a message or anything else. All of a sudden, River got tense.

"We're…we're…burning, roasting…alive, d-dying slowly…" she whimpered in panic, with Zoë and me exchanged worried expressions. It had been three months since we'd been to Miranda, and River hadn't shown any symptoms since then.

"Shhh…shhh…River, calm down, we're fine," I said, trying to placate her.

"Hold it!" shouted Mal, silencing everyone. Slowly, he walked to one wall, and then to another as he pressed his ear against it. Suddenly, he shouted, "EVERYONE OUT, NOW!" We ran toward the exit and Mal got out just as the explosion blew the door off its hinges. The building started to collapse, and we tore like madmen for the exit. To our good luck, we made it out before the building collapsed. Unfortunately, many bystanders were staring at us.

We stopped to catch our breath, and Mal saw a hooded figure start to run away from us. He shouted, "HEY!" before running after them, with the rest of in tow wondering what was happening.

"Captain, why are we losin' our gorram minds over one person?" Zoë asked, clearly irritated.

"Because," responded Mal, "our rabbit's prob'ly the _tah mah duh hwoon dahn_ tried to blow us to smithereens. _That's_ what we're losin' our minds over."

Zoë shouted back, "Okay, but just so you know, I ain't puttin' this baby in harm's way! Ain't no way this stress is safe for a still-growing child!" Of course, I approved of this, seeing as I had made that suggestion many times since Zoë was aware of her pregnancy.

Mal could only say, "Can't argue with that logic. Still, gonna be awful lonely with only me, River, and the good doctor doin' the jobs." Mal continued in pursuit of the mystery person.

We saw our mystery person run through a bazaar, and as we tried to keep up, Zoë and River started to drop back, getting caught in the crowd. I started to slow down, but Mal told me, "Don't worry about 'em, Doctor. I need all the help I can get, so you're stayin' with me."

The two of us chased the figure to a small passenger shuttle right as the door closed on us. I had the mind to get back as the craft's engines started powering up, but Mal had a different mind. He was foolishly shouting and yelling all manner of curses at the pilot sitting in there. Even he realized this was futile, so he ran back as the craft lifted off the landing pad. Unfortunately, he was still close enough to be thrown on the ground from the force of the engines.

As soon as I saw him fall down, I rushed to his side to make sure he was okay. "You out of your ruttin' mind, Captain? Did you really want to add _your_ name to the list of patients I have?"

Even though he was a little confused, Mal still managed to say, "Nonsense, Doctor. I wasn't plannin' on getting' hurt much."

It took a while for Zoë and River to find us after getting lost in the crowd. Zoë looked ready to have a fit after I told her what happened.

Upon hearing this story, Zoë asked him angrily, "Mal, who was so gorram important that you nearly got yourself killed over them?"

Mal, having regained some of his strength, sat up straight. He stared Zoë down, or should I say _up_, straight in the eye. Calmly, he said to her, "This much I know: we nearly got killed, and this person hightailed it after seein' us alive. When I was chasin' 'em, I mightta bin seein' things, but I swear Inara's face turned and looked back at me."

To be Continued...


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot and characters that I wrote. Joss Whedon takes all the credit for his characters, setting, etc.

A/N: Since I did the Prologue in first person, I thought I'd do the rest of it in the same way from Mal's and Inara's perspectives, since they are the focus of the story. Comments are welcome and appreciated.

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**Chapter 1**

_Twelve hours earlier…_

"Mal, we goin' t'Athens? Bin awhile since I got me new weapon," Jayne said to me as I briefed the crew on our next job.

"Of course, get this ape another stick to swing around," Simon said with a mix of apprehension and contempt on his face. Jayne looked ready to punch him.

"We're goin' t'Athens on accounta a tip I got. Apparently a load'a cargo's bin unloaded for the takin', an' I 'spect we ain't the only ones that know about it. We're preparin' for a fight, an' we need every man we've got. More so since Zoë can't be in no firefights if'n she's carryin' a child aroun'," I said my crew. "River, get us there quick like. We need pay, an' I sure as hell ain't lookin' to die fer it." I knew I was forgettin' somethin' but then I remembered. "Oh, an' we gotta make this job quick so's we c'n pick Inara up on Persephone." Just like that woman, always havin' a plan that goes'n complicates thin's.

I was sittin' at the table thinkin' 'bout stuff, an' then I hear Kaylee behind me. "Hey there," she said with a smile. "How's Inara bin doin' for herself?"

"I'm sure she's fine. We're gonna pick 'er up after this job."

"Shiny," she said, walkin' away, cheerful as always.

Next I know, I hear Zoë's voice behind me. "Sir? Not t'be pryin', but it's bin near a week since you've even given Inara so much as a backwards glance. Come to think of it, you've bin kinda distant in general."

She was right, an' I couldn't deny it. Inara an' I had bin tryin' t'cool off since we'd had yet another fight. I knew this one was different despite forgettin' most of it. But just as I left her shuttle, I heard her shout, "Well I don't know how much longer I'll be on this ship!" I'm thinkin' that scared both of us good, but we didn't want to press it with each other. Plus, we didn' wanna be upsettin' the crew, 'specially little Kaylee, so we just left it.

I coulda kept thinkin' but Zoë snapped me outta my trance. "Sir, with all due respect, you could try treatin' that woman better. She's done just as much for this boat as any one of us."

"Why? Dignified member of high society like her looks down on use folks who try t'earn a simple livin'."

Walkin' out to go land the ship, Zoë left me sayin', "She could be anywhere in the 'verse right now. An' for reasons I sometimes don't understand, she chose this boat." That only got me thinkin' more as I left to get ready for the job.

Enterin' the cargo bay, I could see Jayne loadin' up Vera. River was standin' there getting' her pistols ready, that machete a'hers at her hip. "Keep it simple," I told them. "We grab whatever we can 'fore trouble shows."

We'd be landin' somewhere in a forest, which was supposedly where the goods had been stashed.

Sure enough, I saw 'em, and there was an area close by with just enough space to land _Serenity_. We couldn't land as close as I'd liked, but the goods were near enough that we could carry 'em by hand. I noticed the boxes stacked up against a cliff, an' I didn' want no rocks fallin' on our heads. "River, Jayne, get'a move on! Sooner we're gone, th' better."

After a while, we had six boxes loaded up with plenty more to go. I was strugglin' t' remove one that looked particularly valuable from th' bottom, and all of a sudden I hear Jayne yell, "Mal!" In the next few seconds, I felt myself gettin' thrown forward, and I look up an' see Jayne's leg crushed under some rocks that fell off the cliff. "How the…?" I said, looking at the cliff.

Standin' there just lookin' at us, River said, "He had no time to save himself from the cobra. She was just too quick."

"Girl, stop yer yammerin' an' help me get Jayne onboard." Over the com link, I said to Zoë, "Some _hun dan's_ done attacked us, an' Jayne's down. We're leavin', now."

Simon got to the cargo bay just as we entered. "I heard someone got hurt," he said after rushing to see what was wrong. River had just finished dragging Jayne inside as the door closed. Under his breath, Simon said, "So he finally found a tree that was too big," as he started to treat Jayne's leg.

Walkin' to the bridge, I saw Zoë lookin' at me all angry-like. I shrugged and said, "We got somethin', didn't we?" before turned around and left me to my pilotin'.

A little while after we were off-world, a voice came over the radio. "Mr. Reynolds, I presume? Let me be brief. I understand that you have some…valuable cargo onboard."

Right then, I told him, "That cargo cost me too much to obtain, so I'll be havin' it for m'self, thank you. There's plenty more left on Athens if'n your willing to search. Y'want a share for y'self, you c'n go lookin' down there insteada' up here. I'm not givin' up this here cut'a mine."

"You misunderstand, Mr. Reynolds. I am willing to pay a more than fair price for whatever you have, so long as you've got the time to travel to Persephone to negotiate. We can meet in the abandoned building at the south end of the Eavesdown docks."

And as I set course for Persephone, I said to him, "I'm listenin'…"

To be Continued…


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot and characters that I wrote. Joss Whedon takes all the credit for his characters, setting, etc.

A/N: As always, I hope you enjoy this story. Feel free to comment and review.

* * *

**Chapter 2**

I reclined for a while, having just finished with one of my clients. I waited for someone on _Serenity_ to tell me they had arrived at Persephone. Soon enough, Zoë's voice came through on the com. "Inara, we're on Persephone, so whenever you're ready." I needed an hour for the return trip, so I wanted to hurry. Mal gets upset when someone stops him thieving.

I told the crew I would be docking. Zoë responded with, "Be careful." Strange, since I was at the ship with nothing dangerous nearby.

When the doors opened, the barrel of Mal's gun was there to greet me. Even River had a pistol trained on me.

"Care to explain?

"Wha-? Mal, have you gone insane?"

"Seems there's a lot of that goin' around. Like how you just tried to kill me plus half my crew. Prob'ly wanted to scrap my ship for parts once y'got me outta th' way. So, call me insane if that ain't right."

"Mal, I just finished with a client. I certainly wasn't trying to kill you! Just ask River, she should know if I'm telling the truth."

He turned to River, and she said, "Nothing she knows or remembers suggests her involvement."

"Meaning," he said, "that may or may not have been you, so back in you go." He gestured with his gun towards my shuttle, and I had no choice but to obey. I swear, that man and his guns. "She is not allowed t' leave," he told River.

I sat there for near an hour, and I checked to see if there was anyone outside my doors. River was sitting on the floor, content with staring at the cargo bay.

"River," I said, catching her attention. She looked at me, her face blank, with a hint of curiosity. "Do you think I did this?"

"When I tried to see, your mind was a foggy window. Everything I saw was fuzzy, and nothing made sense." Hmm, River never had a hard time reading someone. "And I know you didn't do this," she said, with a small smile.

"Tell me, where were you attacked?"

"The south end of the Eavesdown docks. Oh, and our last job. Jayne got hurt."

"How?"

"Someone tried to bury him. I couldn't see them. But she had hair like yours."

If "she" was the same person in both cases, everyone on the ship was in danger. And if someone got hurt…I could never live with the deaths of people I loved. I guess that's why being a Companion appealed to me. We developed no attachments with our clients while still making their lives better, and…no, that's not important now.

"River, please trust me. Now, I may know who's attacking you. But I'll you need to help me escape. You can even say I escaped on my own."

"It's too dangerous."

"Everyone else is in danger right now. Please, trust me. Let me help."

River stared at me, her face expressionless, and after a while, she said, "I trust you." She unlocked the doors, but signaled for me to stay behind. Before she left, she said, "If it helps, Kaylee said her shuttle probably belonged to a CL-54." She descended the steps to the cargo bay and walked to the com link. "Captain, it's _Serenity_. I think she's sick. Something in the engine room is wrong." After everyone was in the cargo bay, Mal and River talked a while, and she led them away. I slipped out the door and locked it behind me, hopefully deflecting suspicion for as long as possible. I took the stairs down, and walked out the side door.

As I walked through the streets, I thought to myself, "Mal's made plenty of enemies who want him dead." But this person resembled me enough to fool him…there's no one in this universe I know like that. So I'm being framed for their actions.

It amazed me that the crew managed to escape. The building was just a pile of rocks and framework. So far, only one crane had been sent for cleanup. Since it was idle, it was safe to investigate. I didn't let myself be seen as I sifted through the rubble. A person poking around wreckage would seem suspicious at the least. Anyone's attention, especially the Alliance's, would spell trouble for me.

It would have taken four or five explosives to cause this much damage. Finding one of the bombs might reveal this person's skill level. I found something that was part of a bomb, but it was different. It was a homemade apparatus that automatically triggered a bomb with a switch. You could even open a door to activate it. Suddenly, I remembered something that I had seen years ago, at a Companion house on Londinium. It was a device identical to this one which they showed their members.

I myself knew of this house, where they taught these "Companions" the "art" of murder. I could never understand why they did this, but it has certainly given them a reputation. Basically, they're guns for hire who people could easily pay for a job. So I guess I'm going to Londinium if I want to speak with this person.

I went looking for a shuttle to my destination, when a couple of burly men blocked my path. A third man came up to me, and in a rough, nasal voice, he said, "And just what's a pretty little thin' like yerself doin' all…alone in these parts?"

Unfazed, I said, "Just passing through."

"I'm thinkin', maybe you come aboard an' entertain my crew. Bin awhile since we's had us a good show."

"And if I refuse?"

"Oh, you won't be refusin' any time soon, sweetheart," he said before pointing his gun at my face. "Men and their guns," I said to myself.

To be Continued…


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot and characters that I wrote. Joss Whedon takes all the credit for his characters, setting, etc.

A/N: Since the story arcs of Mal and Inara intersect a lot, it would have been troublesome to break the events here into two chapters. So this time, I thought I'd write this chapter from both Mal's and Inara's perspectives. As always, I hope you enjoy this story. Feel free to comment and review.

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**Chapter 3**

"Captain, I can't see anything wrong here," Kaylee told me in the engine room.

"No. The RCS thruster is misaligned. We'd get roasted if our re-entry goes wrong," River said again.

"Kaylee, I'd rather not admit that this girl was right when we're all dead. We'll go check, should take 'bout two minutes tops anyways." I couldn't believe this. The crew may have their quarrels with me, but the only real troublemaker was Jayne. And these two never disagreed. These girls, they were like sisters. They both knew the ship well, so why they were disagreein' was anyone's guess.

We checked over those _gorram _thrusters, which I thought were fine. After we'd finished, they were more in line than when we'd bought 'em.

"Okay, that's enough. Now I'm goin' t' make sure our prisoner's still here." Knowin' her an' her wiles, she's prob'ly found a way to escape by now.

"Whoever you are, I've got money if that's what you want," I said to the _hun dan_ pointing his gun at me.

"Now that there's a temptin' offer," he said dryly, "but I'll have t' decline. 'Cause see, I'm the kinda person who stands t'gain if yer _on_ my ship."

"Meaning?" I asked impatiently.

"Means you get on without fussin' 'fore I blow yer brains out," he said with his gun still pointed. I couldn't argue at this point, so I boarded. But my prospects of rescue were slim.

"Girl, would you jus' lemme check in on her?" I don't know what the hell was goin' on with my crew, but it was gettin' real old real fast. I could even have Simon check them for…well, I dunno, space sickness?

"You were correct. She's too dangerous, and she can't be trusted. There's an 82 percent chance she has escaped. She could be waiting in the shadows, ready to strike."

"An' that's why you're comin' along to stop her case she does." Yeah, that doctor's gonna enjoy examinin' these loonies after I check on Inara.

"Okay you, what's goin' on?" I said as a banged on her shuttle's door. But I got no response. "Hey, get up," I said louder. Still no response. "'Kay then, use your wiles," I said, cocking my gun as I open her door. I kept it pointed as I entered, but there was no one. I searched the place top to bottom and found no one. "An' what a _jung chi duh go-se dway_ this day will be…" An' now I'd have t' tell my crew.

At this point, it was better to play along. I mean, these "attempted murders". People showing up out of nowhere. I could sense a connection somewhere in this, and I might find it if I stay.

"Keep movin'," my captor said, prodding me with his gun. We got to the passenger quarters of the ship. They shoved me inside one of the rooms and locked the door from outside.

It was one of the dirtiest, dingiest excuses for a passenger bunk I had ever seen. It had not been cleaned, and a layer of dust and grime had settled everywhere. Not wanting to ruin my shawl trying to clean this place, I wiped some dirt from the center of the room. I sat in that spot, and I just tried to clear my mind.

I couldn't believe my stupidity. Even though I escaped, I was on my own, and without a weapon. And now this person could pretend to be me since I'm not around. I couldn't believe it, but…I was beginning to act like Mal. I had just showed complete disregard for my own safety by getting into a situation I knew nothing about. Yeah, definitely Mal.

Unfortunately, there was nothing helpful in my room. I looked harder, and to my good fortune I found something that resembled a communicator. There was damage to the unit, but there was a slim chance I could repair it. If I could get a message to _Serenity_…but no, they may not be willing to trust me. But I'd have to try.

"She had it in her," Zoë said after I told her what happened, "an' I for one think she's innocent."

"Innocent or not, she's gone. An' no one goes AWOL on this boat without consequences. We find her an' force her to tell us what the hell she was tryin' t' prove."

Even if Jayne's leg was broke didn't mean he could be doin' none t' help. I could probably squeeze a couple'a handguns for whoever's replacin' him.

I walked in on him sharpinin' his knife collection, when he looked up an' said, "Oh, hey."

"Hey. I'm gonna need a couple'a pistols, seenin' as someone'll have t' fill in for you."

"Aw hell, Mal, lemme fight! I'm gonna go mad sittin' here, 'specially if the doctor's the only one here."

"Nope, Kaylee's gonna be checkin' in on you. Just cause doc's got more of a feel for adversity than her, not that it's by much though."

"Aw, whatever, my small guns are there," he said, pointing to a part of the wall.

"Thanks." I took the two I wanted. Before I left, I said to him, "You didn't have to do that. Back there. I'd…never ask that of anyone, not on my crew."

"I'd prob'ly get, uh, beat up anyway. Knowin' this crew, they'd blame me if you got hurt."

"Yeah. Well, just rest. The sooner ya get better, sooner the doc goes back to being a doc."

I was organizin' a search for our escape artist when a wave came. I answered it, but there was no video. The audio was so patchy, I couldn't tell if it was a man or woman. All I heard was, "Can any…me? There's no…ime…Londini…New Card…comp…south end. You…ans…there," before the message ended.

"Okay, weird."

I managed to get my last words to _Serenity _in when the com unit burnt out. I wouldn't be able to contact anyone else now, so I hoped I made the right decision.

A guard came by, and I had run out of patience. "Why should I be of interest to whoever you're working for?" I shouted at him.

"'Cause it's easier to go killin' with you outta the way," he said bluntly.

"Killing who?" I asked, scared about what I might hear.

"Now, I've said too much, an' I didn't sign up t' be no one's babysitter 'sides that. Now shut yer trap unless you'd rather get shot out our back end!"

This was hopeless. Escape was impossible at this point. Plus, I had no way to contact or warn the crew. I just hope that they figure out my message before it's too late.

Simon came to the bridge and said, "It sounded like directions. From what I could gather, the planet they were referring to is Londinium, and the city was New Cardiff. There's something about the south end they wanted us to see."

"Or it's another trap," I said skeptically.

"Could be, but I don't think that's likely. That wave was patchy, and just partially complete as a result. If our mystery person was trying to trap us, they would have at least made sure the message was clear."

"So what you're sayin' is we follow some stranger's instructions? With this _ma fan_ to sort out? Inara may or may not have tried t' kill us, but she could still be in danger."

"And we have no plan. At least this could be a lead."

I thought about it. I wasn't gonna go chasin' after somethin', but I had nothin' else t' chase. "Then we'll take whatever we get." Over the com, I said to the crew, "We're departin' for Londinium, so no askin' questions. We're still deep in the Core, an' I'm edgy enough without all the complainin'. Kaylee, prep the ship." This better be the right choice. Otherwise, I wouldn't know who to blame: Inara, or myself.

To be Continued…


End file.
